John Strys was born on April 27th, 1955, in Paterson, New Jersey to Henry and Edna Strys. John passed away suddenly on July 10, 2024. His life would come to be defined by hard work, grit, an unrelenting optimism, fierce loyalty, family, and so much love.

Early in John’s life he lost his mother in a tragic accident and soon after his father also passed, but the love and support of family and friends in Jefferson Township, NJ helped get him through these trying times. His older sister, Arlene Stirn (“The Big R”) and her Husband, Jack and their four kids were his support system and continued to be this throughout his life.

He was a standout athlete always known for his physicality from youth sports to high school and concluding at Rutgers University, where he played football and was just recently inducted into the Hall of Fame alongside his 1976 undefeated team. An accomplishment of which he was so proud. There on the banks of the old Raritan, he forged lifelong friendships through both football and the DKE fraternity.

After graduation, John kicked off his career at Texas Instruments in Houston, Texas. Years later he would land in Austin with AMD, which would set up an unexpected full-circle moment as he wrapped up the professional chapter of his life 40 years later.

Come 1983, John moved to Puyallup, Washington for a job with Fairchild Semiconductor, where he would end up meeting the love of his life. Despite wearing his polyester pants and cowboy boots on their first date, he won Laura’s heart. They married on November 27, 1985 in Tacoma, Washington and a year later welcomed their beautiful daughter, Cassandra, into their lives. With the support of Laura’s parents, Anne and Don Fererro (“Grandma & Grandpa”), John and Laura embarked on the journey of parenthood. John was always so grateful for the love he was shown by Laura’s family and to have her parents welcome him in as their own. Eight years later they would welcome their son, Robert, to complete their family.

The Strys family lived in Puyallup until 1999 when John’s career took them to a place they now all consider home in Tigard, Oregon. Here John began work at IDT in Hillsboro, where he worked for 15 years and made friendships both he and Laura cherish to this day. These years were filled with playing catch in the street every chance Robert, Cassie and John got, even though it would often end with one of the kids in tears. This intensity carried into coaching Tigard Youth Football, a highlight of John’s life where he had the chance to coach with some of his best friends and instill toughness in his players, even if that meant a headbutt against a helmet to fire the defense up. In true John fashion.

John and Laura sent Cassie and Robert to St. Anthony in Tigard for elementary and middle school, where John loved coaching CYO basketball and Laura volunteered often. During this time John earned his MBA from Marylhurst University and became Catholic at St. Anthony Church, a part of his life he and the family deeply cherish. This chapter brought friends who quickly became like family and remain that today.

In 2014, an opportunity arose in Cardiff, Wales that took John and Laura on the adventure of their lifetime. John worked for International Rectifier/Infineon Technologies, and on weekends they would explore the beautiful country of Wales and travel around Europe. This time period brought about incredible friends and memories that the entire family feels so grateful to have experienced.

During their time in Wales, Laura was diagnosed with lung cancer and their communities from Wales to Oregon rallied around them as Laura fought with John by her side every step of the way. She has been considered cured since 2020, and John always considered this one of his greatest blessings.

As their time wound down in Cardiff, John received an opportunity to continue working with Infineon in Temecula, California for what they thought would be John’s last professional chapter. While living in Temecula, John gained his most beloved and “favorite” son-in-law. John walked Cassie down the aisle adding the Seuferlings’ to the family tree. Cassie and Johnny blessed Laura and John with their first grandchild, James, and went on to add William, Charles and Margaret to the bunch. Weekends consisted of long walks with Laura, wine tasting, throwing the ball at the park with his granddog, Jasper, regular visits from Robert and his fiancé, Stephanie, who John dearly adored, and cornhole game beatdowns by Johnny.

John loved his seven years working and living in Temecula, and was so proud of the life he and Laura built there. In late 2022, as operations wrapped up at the Infineon plant in Temecula, John received one more opportunity to close out his professional career, basically where it began, at Infineon in Austin. John worked at the same semiconductor plant location where he started with AMD 40 years before. While in Austin, John was able to reconnect with old friends, beloved family, and enjoyed getting to know the area again, especially when Laura and Robert would come to visit. John officially retired on October 1, 2023 and was looking forward to the next stage of life filled with travel, spending time at his new home in Oregon with his grandkids, future grandkids, friends, and enjoying the fruits of his labor.

One of John’s greatest achievements was the raising of Cassie and Robert. Instilling good values of both life and work into both. He was so proud of Cassie being a good mom and having four beautiful grandbabies and of the woman she turned out to be; and Robert on the man he has become, the success he has had so far in life and the family he and Stephanie are going to have. John loved playing with the grandkids, always being so loud and fun. They loved him dearly as well.

John was a lifelong fan of Marvel and a real-life superhero to everyone who knew him. He could throw a pop fly to the moon and 30 yard out route even at 69, and was never scared to cry during any movie. John was the embodiment of overcoming adversity while retaining the most positive outlook on life. Despite every opportunity to play victim, he carried on and expected that same appreciation and gratefulness for life from all those around him. Those who worked with him talk about the high expectations and work ethic he instilled, but also the kindness and generosity with which he led. He once told Stephanie that going to work was like going to battle, and his goal was to get the absolute best out of everyone he knew. This he always achieved.

John will be so dearly missed, but his lasting impact can already be felt. He is survived by his wife of 38 years, Laura, his daughter Cassie and her husband Johnny and their four children - James, William, Charles and Margaret; and his son Robert and his (almost) wife Stephanie. He is also survived by his dearly beloved in-laws, many dearly beloved nieces, nephews and friends who are truly family. He is preceded in death by his mother and father, Edna and Henry, his sister Arlene, his brother, Butch, his nephew, Henry and his mother and father-in-law, Don and Anne Fererro.

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